New standards set to give young Londoners more outdoor play spaces

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone today introduced a unique standard that will require all new residential developments in London to include the provision of at least ten square metres of high quality and accessible play and recreation space for every child that will live there.  

The standard is contained within new Supplementary Planning Guidance to the Mayor's London Plan and is supported by a wealth of evidence that play and opportunities for informal recreation are vital for both a happy and healthy childhood and a well balanced adult life. The standard forms an essential part of the Mayor’s strategy to make London a more sustainable city, providing a good quality of life and improving the public realm for all its citizens.

Play space policies must be incorporated into local development plans and the guidance will assist boroughs, planners and developers in the design of accessible recreation and play space in new housing schemes in the capital. Developed in consultation with local authorities, key stakeholders and the Government, it comes at a crucial time when play strategies are becoming a more integral part of the planning system, especially with the recent announcement of the Government's £225 million play investment programme. It also compliments the Mayor and Government's broader £79 million London Youth Offer which is designed to give young Londoners more things to do and places to go.

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said:

‘Inspiring and encouraging more child-friendly neighbourhoods is essential if we are to give our young people the best chance to achieve their potential and improve their quality of life. Providing benchmark standards like these together with the major additional investment from my London Youth Offer will make real improvements to the future of our young people, giving them more places to go and things to do. Everyone involved in planning and developing our capital must now make the provision of play space a central consideration in any residential development.‘

Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron said:

‘For the first time we have a policy to ensure London’s children in new housing developments have good and accessible play and recreation facilities. It is about quality of space and facilities as well as quantity. The spaces need to be well designed and provide for a range of activities for the different age groups. Play areas for under 5s must be in the development or adjacent. Space for 5-11 year olds can be within 400 metres and within 800 metres for the 12 plus group. The new policy and the Guidance represent a watershed in making London a more child friendly city.’

Joost Beunderman, researcher at Demos said:

‘Improving children and young people’s quality of life means making all our public spaces welcoming for play – from the everyday residential street to the town centre square. Everyone whose work has impact on the public realm – planners and developers, but also transport engineers, greenspace managers and designers – needs to put the needs of children and young people at the heart of what they do. The new SPG is a crucial step towards embedding this awareness across London and shows how urban leadership can change cities for the better.’

Ends

Notes to editors:

1.      To view the ‘Supplementary Planning Guidance: Providing children and young people’s play and informal recreation’ visit www.london.gov.uk

2.      The London Plan (February 2008) sets the strategic context for planning and contains measures to protect and improve open spaces, including children’s play space (Policy 3D.13) and to produce supplementary planning guidance on children’s spatial needs. Visit www.london.gov.uk/thelondonplan

3.      The Mayor’s Children and Young People’s Strategy (2004) sets out the Mayor’s vision for developing London as a ‘genuinely child-friendly city’ and contains specific policy commitments and action points about children’s play space. To download visit http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/children/index.jsp

4.      In 2004, EC1 New Deal for Communities, working in partnership with Islington Council, produced a Public Space Strategy that identified a series of projects to be implemented leading up to 2011 and beyond. The aim was ensure that projects are linked and that investment in play provision is connected to park, street and estate improvements while also creating environments that are safe for children. The proposals for Spa Fields reflect all of these aims: residents, including young people, have been involved at all stages and phased improvements have been taking place since 2005. The first stage has been to improve the park itself. Work is now about to start to make access from the surrounding estates safer and to improve the footpath on the adjacent main road.

5.      Demos is the think tank for everyday democracy. In November 2007, Demos launched the pamphlet Seen and Heard – Reclaiming the public Realm with children and young people, funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Children’s Play Initiative

6.      Nicky Gavron is also speaking at the event ‘Capital Woman 2008 ‘ on Saturday 8th March 2008 at QE11 Centre. Registration is free and to attend, please email womensdesk@london.gov.uk

7.      The £5 million ‘Young Londoners Fund’ is a key part of the £79 million ‘London Youth Offer’, funded by the Mayor and Government and announced in December 2007. £73 million has already been distributed to London’s boroughs to provide more things to do and safe places to go for young people outside school hours.

ENQUIRIES: For more information contact Richard Brookes or Alison McDonald in the Mayor’s Press office on 020 7983 6550/4020

GENERAL PUBLIC/NON-MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Call the Public Liaison Unit at the Greater London Authority on 020 7983 4100.

DUTY PRESS OFFICER: For out-of-hours media enquiries, please call 020 7983 4000.